Capstone Presentations: Clean Energy Engineering

UBC MEL CEEN Final Capstone Presentations 2019

On a rainy afternoon, the 2019 cohort of Master of Engineering Leadership students specializing in Clean Energy Engineering (CEEN), presented their final capstone projects.

The sustainability showcase was held on December 12, which will forever be a memorable day for these students as they shared the culmination of months of research and hard work. CEEN students presented their capstone projects to a room of UBC professors, CEEN alumni, supportive classmates, and industry professionals. It was a great opportunity for the soon-to-be graduates to celebrate their successes in the program and network with industry members as they begin to consider their career plans after they complete the program.

Capstone projects were designed to give students experience in leading complex multidisciplinary clean energy projects.

Students develop their skills in writing professional reports based on the technical analysis of a complex clean energy system, evaluating the viability of a clean energy related project, and confidently communicating key findings in a business environment. The project synthesizes the technical and business knowledge acquired throughout the MEL program and applies it to a real-world problem.

Further, each student collaborated with an industry partner in the development of their project, which enabled them to gain experience working within a large firm. Some industry partners included: Fortis BC, Kambo Energy Group, Pembina Institute, Nelson Hydro, and others. As they completed their capstone, the students honed both their technical expertise and their professional communication skills when working alongside leaders in the clean energy industry.

The capstone enables students to polish their leadership skills, further their industry-specific knowledge, and extend their professional network—and the showcase provides an opportunity for students to impress their instructors and peers with their innovative projects!

Some of the 2019 presentation topics included an analysis of hydrogen demand in British Columbia, an evaluation of the implementation of renewable energy resources in diesel dependent communities, and analysis of the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Each student displayed a poster, presented for fifteen minutes, gained feedback from leaders in industry and answered questions from clean energy experts. Also, each attendee voted for their favourite poster which displayed incredible skill and innovative problem-solving skills. In first place was Derek Oppedisano, sponsored by Kambo Energy Group, and in second place was Sonja Dods, sponsored by Fortis BC.

In addition to the capstone presentations, UBC was pleased to invite Sabina Russell, a Principal at Zen Energy, to present a keynote speech. Zen Clean Energy is a specialty consulting firm in Vancouver with a focus on hydrogen and fuel cells. Sabina has been working in BC’s clean energy sector for 22 years and has a passion for zero-emission transportation. She co-founded Zen with business partner Jeff Grant four years ago intending to play a bigger role in deploying technologies that can help decarbonize our energy systems.

In the evening, students were able to mingle and network, sharing what they learned throughout the year and commenting on their most memorable experiences. The evening provided an opportunity for students to discuss career options, as their program comes to an end. In fact, through student’s capstone projects, several employment opportunities have arisen, with students already cementing roles for 2020.

If you would like to be involved in the next Master of Engineering Leadership in Clean Energy Engineering program, either as an employer, a consultant or a student, please contact us at apscpp.apsc@ubc.ca.

Learn more about the Master of Engineering Leadership in Clean Energy Engineering.